<p>Here's my response to topic #1: "Describe the world you come from for example, your family, community or school and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations."</p>
<p>I mainly want to know the following:
-Do I sound too whiney, negative?
-Do my ideas make sense?
-Are they cohesive?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>"Ive grown up in a relatively privileged family. I have an older brother and a mother and father who are still together. We had food, shelter, and extra money to spend on leisure. However, despite our fortune, I had grown up under a shadow composed of double standards and sexism that no amount of money could chase away.</p>
<p>Both of my parents were refugees who came from Vietnam during the Vietnam War. With them, they brought their culture and tradition to America. Unfortunately, with their traditional values, they retained their rather unfavorable view of women as a whole. In many Asian cultures, women are seen as naturally weaker in both physical and emotional aspects. Overall, we are considered the inferior half. While time and modernization have helped alleviate the problem, the inequality remains.</p>
<p>Before I knew the definition of sexism I was aware of the unequal treatment between my brother and I. Like every other child who is denied something by a parent, I would ask Why? and the answer would always be the same: Because you are a girl. Unlike my mother, I had the opportunity of growing up in Oregon and I knew that this was not right. Torn between my familys traditional values and the western values I adopted, I grew bitter and angry. However, no matter how frustrated I was, the answer remained simple to me. There was no use dislodging my parents from their beliefs; the only one I could change was myself. Fueled by my desire to disprove them, I worked harder to be stronger, kinder, and smarter than my brother. While I harbored no ill will towards him, I began to view him as a rival I needed to surpass. </p>
<p>Most recently, I realized that even then, I was succumbing to the shadow by working towards my success out of spite. Despite what they have done for me, I was still angry with my mother and father for trying to force me into their mold of an ideal woman and future wife. Hard work alone failed to satisfy me and it took many nights of self-reflection to admit that I pitied myself by secretly blaming my parents for my bitterness. While I still do not accept their strongly biased views considering men and women, the first step I needed to take in order to avoid collapsing under the weight was to accept that working to simply prove them wrong was not enough. I couldnt afford to depend on them for approval and acceptance. From then on, the extra hours I spent on schoolwork, volunteering, and exercising were for my own benefit. </p>
<p>I do not have to work hard because I am a woman, but because I am a person wanting to succeed. For years, it was my own bias that bogged me down. I can only hope that my parents will eventually accept me as a person who refuses to be bound by her gender; however, the future where I am free to be in a career I enjoy, where I am surrounded by friends, is a future I have to earn for myself and not for anyone elses approval. "</p>
If I can’t pull it off, I may just pick something entirely different but we’ll see.</p>